Visão geral

O infinito Plains

Serengeti is not a destination. It is an encounter with deep time. A landscape so ancient, so ecologically intact, that scientists believe its weather patterns, fauna and flora have changed very little in over a million years.

O próprio nome vem da palavra Maasai siringet. "the place where the land runs on forever." Standing at the edge of the Seronera Valley at dawn, before the sun has cleared the flat horizon and the plains are still grey and cool, the name makes absolute sense. There is no end to this landscape. The grass runs to the horizon in every direction, interrupted only by the dark silhouettes of kopjes and the distant dark shapes of animals moving in the half-light.

Serengeti National Park covers 14,763 square kilometres and sits at the heart of the greater Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. An interconnected network of national parks, conservation areas and game reserves extending over 30,000 kmã across Tanzania and Kenya. It is Africa's most ecologically complete savanna ecosystem. A place where the full suite of African savanna wildlife still exists in numbers and in relationships that have evolved over millions of years without the simplification that human settlement imposes everywhere else.

In 1940, it became one of Tanzania's first national parks. In 1981, UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site. Recognising both its exceptional natural beauty and its outstanding universal value for the study of ecological processes. The Serengeti Research Institute, established at Seronera in 1966, has produced some of the most influential ecological science of the 20th century, including George Schaller's foundational lion studies (begun in the 1960s and still continuing today) and the definitive research on predator-prey relationships that underpins modern conservation biology.

Park Statistics

Established1940

UNESCO Status1981

Total Area14,763 kmã

Ecosystem Area30,000+ kmã

Altitude Range920-1,850m

Wildebeest1.3-1.7 million

Lions3,000-4,000

Cheetah500-600

Leopard~1,000

Spotted Hyena7,500-8,700

Buffalo~50,000

Elephant8,000+

Bird Species500+

Large Mammals70+ species

One of Seven Natural Wonders of Africa

A Grande Migração dos Gnus é o fenómeno natural mais emblemático de África e um dos principais eventos de vida selvagem do mundo.

A Migração

O maior Show on Earth

Todos os anos, num movimento governado inteiramente pelas chuvas e pelo crescimento da erva fresca, aproximadamente 1,7 milhão de gnus, 260.000 zebras e 470.000 gazelas de Thomson e Grant complete a continuous clockwise circuit through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. They have been doing this for over a million years. The circuit spans 3,000 kilometres. It is the largest overland animal migration on Earth. And in terms of total body weight, the largest animal movement anywhere on the planet.

A Migração não tem começo nem fim. É um ciclo contínuo, movido por um único imperativo: os rebanhos seguem a chuva, que gera grama verde fresca. Quando as planícies de relva curta do sul do Serengeti ficam verdes com as chuvas curtas de Novembro, os rebanhos deslocam-se para sul. Quando essas planícies secam em abril, elas se movem para o norte. Depois de pastadas as altas gramíneas do norte do Serengeti, elas atravessam para Masai Mara, no Quênia. Quando as chuvas de Mara chegam às planícies do Serengeti em novembro, elas retornam. O ciclo não tem pausa.

O Travessias do rio Mara. Which typically occur July through October. Are the Migration's most theatrical and most photographed moment. The wildebeest gather in their thousands on the southern bank of the Mara, milling, calling, pressing forward and back in a collective indecision that can last hours before a single animal breaks from the bank and the rest surge after it. The crocodiles. Some over 70 years old and 5 metres long. Wait. The current pulls at the animals. Not all make it. But the survivors press on north, following the rain and the grass, as their ancestors have for a million years before them.

O época de parto na área de Ndutu, no sul do Serengeti (typically January through March) is the Migration's most intimate chapter. Over 500,000 wildebeest calves are born in a compressed 2-3 week window. Up to 8,000 in a single day at peak. Wildebeest calves are extraordinary athletes: within minutes of birth, they can walk; within hours, run. They need to be. The plains are dense with lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyenas, all timing their own breeding and hunting to coincide with this explosion of vulnerable, nutritious life.

Migração em Números

1.3-1.7 Million

Western White-bearded Wildebeest

260,000

Zebra das Planícies (precede os rebanhos)

470,000+

Thomson's & Grant's Gazelle

Rio Mara

Crocodile crossing (Jul-Oct)

500,000+

Calves born Feb-Mar (Ndutu)

3,000 km

Annual circuit distance

Year-Round

Migration visible in Serengeti every month

Where the Herds Are Month by Month

January

Southern Serengeti & Ndutu Plains

O parto começa

February

Ndutu Short-Grass Plains

Pico do Parto

March

Southern & Central Serengeti

Moving North

April

Central Serengeti Moru Kopjes

Chuvas Longas

May

Central & Western Corridor

Columns Form

June

Western Corridor Grumeti River

Grumeti Crossing

July

Northern Serengeti

? Mara Travessias

August

Northern Serengeti & Masai Mara

? Travessias de pico

September

Northern Serengeti & Mara

? Still Crossing

October

Eastern Serengeti Moving South

Heading South

November

Chuvas Curtas do Leste Serengetiã

Chuvas Curtas

December

Southern Serengeti & Ndutu

Returning South

Geography

Os Seis Distinct Zones

The Serengeti is not one landscape. It is six distinct ecosystems, each with its own character, its own wildlife concentrations and its own optimal time to visit.

Seronera Valley

A Capital Predadora

The park's heart and most visited area. The Seronera River Valley contains the highest concentration of resident predators anywhere in the Serengeti. Hundreds of lions wander the plains around Seronera, the Simba, Moru and Gol kopjes. The resident leopards of the Seronera River fig trees are among Africa's most reliably sighted. The valley sits at the convergence of the short-grass plains, the acacia woodland and the riverine forest. Three habitat types supporting three distinct predator communities.

Year-Round Lions & Leopards Simba Kopjes Central Location

Ndutu & Southern Plains

Os terrenos de parto

The southern Serengeti's short-grass plains. Grown on volcanic ash from the Kerimasi Volcano, erupted 150,000 years ago. Are the ancestral calving grounds of the wildebeest. Between January and March, these plains hold the most extraordinary wildlife spectacle available outside the Mara River crossings: 500,000+ calves born in weeks, every predator in the ecosystem converging on the feast and the open green plains stretching to every horizon. The Ndutu woodlands in the southwest provide excellent year-round predator and resident wildlife viewing.

Jan-Mar Peak Temporada de parto Predator Action Lake Ndutu

Northern Serengeti

O Drama do Rio Mara

The northern Serengeti. The Lamai Wedge, Kogatende and the Mara River corridor. Is the stage for the Migration's most dramatic chapter: the Mara River crossings, when wildebeest plunge en masse into crocodile-filled water in scenes of extraordinary chaos and survival instinct. The northern zone holds large resident elephant herds and less-visited game drive circuits away from the Seronera crowds. The Lobo Valley in the northeast holds unique wildlife and excellent game drives year-round.

Jul-Oct Best Travessia do Rio Mara Elephant Herds Lobo Valley

Western Corridor

A Zona do Rio Grumeti

The Western Corridor is the Migration's first major river challenge. The Grumeti River, with its own population of enormous Nile crocodiles (some among the largest in Africa), becomes the scene of dramatic crossings in June and July as the herds push north. The Grumeti Reserve and Ikorongo Game Reserve adjacent to the park support significant topi and roan antelope populations rarely seen elsewhere in the Serengeti. The broadleaved Terminalia-Combretum woodlands of the far northwest replace the acacia woodland, creating a completely different game drive character.

Jun-Jul Best Grumeti Crossing Topi & Roan Unique Woodland

Lobo Valley

A joia o ano todo

The Lobo Valley in the northeastern Serengeti is one of the park's most beautiful and least-crowded areas. A world of rolling hills, rocky outcrops and acacia woodland that provides excellent game driving year-round. In October and November, the herds pass through on their return south, filling the valley with wildlife. Black-backed jackals (more common here than anywhere else in the Serengeti), large elephant herds in the north and exceptional landscape photography make Lobo one of the park's hidden rewards for those who venture beyond Seronera.

Year-Round Low Crowds Oct-Nov Migration Pass-Through

Eastern Serengeti

Cheetah Country

The eastern Serengeti's volcanic grasslands. A Tropical Grassland Ecozone. Are Tanzania's finest cheetah habitat. The park's estimated 500-600 cheetahs are densest in the open grasslands around Seronera and east toward Ndutu, where the short grass provides both visibility for the cheetah's hunting technique and clear sightlines for safari photography. The eastern plains transition into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area's protected lands to the southeast. The area the herds use for much of the year as a grazing extension of the southern Serengeti.

Year-Round Cheetah Capital Open Plains Photography

Predators

Africa's Greatest Concentration of Predators

The Serengeti sustains not just the largest migrating herds in the world but the greatest concentrations of large predators on Earth. Supported by the 2 million+ ungulates that fuel the entire food chain.

African Lion

3,000-4,000 Individuals

The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem supports the largest lion population remaining in Africa. Most likely the largest on Earth. Hundreds of resident lions wander the Seronera Valley alone. Prides of 20+ individuals hunt cooperatively, taking prey as large as buffalo and giraffe. The Serengeti Lion Project. Begun by George Schaller in the 1960s. Is the longest-running large carnivore study in the world and the knowledge it has generated underpins the entirety of modern lion conservation science.

Seronera Kopjes Plains

Cheetah

500-600 Individuals

One of the world's densest remaining cheetah populations. The Serengeti's open short-grass plains are ideal cheetah habitat. The combination of high prey density, low vegetation and enormous space allows cheetahs to hunt, raise cubs and compete with lions and hyenas at densities rarely achieved elsewhere. The cheetahs of the Ndutu area and the eastern plains are among the world's most studied and most photographed, with specific individuals and coalitions known to researchers by name.

Eastern Plains Ndutu Open Savanna

Leopard

~1,000 Individuals

The Serengeti's leopard population is estimated at approximately 1,000 individuals. A density of 5.41 per 100 kmã in the dry season, one of the highest recorded in Africa. The leopards of the Seronera River are among Africa's most reliably sighted, their habit of draping themselves over the horizontal branches of the valley's large fig trees making them visible from vehicles at distances that would be impossible in denser bush. The interaction between Seronera's leopards, lions and hyenas is the subject of ongoing scientific research.

Seronera River Fig Trees Riverine Forest

Spotted Hyena

7,500-8,700 Individuals

Spotted hyenas outnumber lions in the Serengeti. And contrary to popular belief, they are far more often the hunters than the scavengers, with lions more frequently stealing hyena kills than vice versa. The Serengeti's hyena clans are extraordinarily complex social systems, with matriarchal hierarchies, coalition formation and cooperative hunting strategies documented in detail by the long-running Serengeti Hyena Project. Hyenas are active throughout the day but most visible at dawn and dusk.

Ecosystem-Wide Clans Open Plains

A Ciência do Serengeti

"O Serengeti é um dos ecossistemas mais antigos e cientificamente significativos do planeta. A moderna ciência da conservação tem as suas raízes aqui, onde pioneiros como Bernhard Grzimek, George Schaller e Jane Goodall conduziram pesquisas que transformaram fundamentalmente a nossa compreensão do comportamento animal, da dinâmica populacional e das relações predador-presa que governam o mundo selvagem."

ã Serengeti Research Institute, founded 1966

Vida Selvagem

70+ Species of Large Mammal

The Serengeti's extraordinary wildlife diversity is a function of its equally extraordinary habitat diversity. In a single park, the savanna ecosystem includes volcanic short-grass plains, acacia woodland, riverine forest, swamps, rocky kopjes and broadleaved miombo woodland. Each supporting different species assemblages that together create the most species-rich savanna system in Africa.

70 large mammal species are recorded within the park, alongside over 500 bird species. The diversity of grazers is particularly remarkable. The Serengeti can support this variety only because each species, even closely related ones, occupies a different dietary niche. Zebras eat long, coarse grass. Wildebeest prefer short, actively growing grass. Thomson's gazelles eat the tiny, highly nutritious plants left when the grazers move on. The entire migration is essentially a sequential lawn-mowing operation, each species preparing the grassland for the next.

The elephant population. Which numbered fewer than 2,000 in the 1986 aerial survey following decades of poaching. Recovered to over 8,000 individuals até 2014, demonstrando a extraordinária resiliência da vida selvagem quando a caça furtiva é controlada com sucesso. As populações de búfalos são de aproximadamente 50.000. Topi, elande, kongoni e impala estão presentes às dezenas de milhares. A capacidade de suporte do ecossistema para os herbívoros é virtualmente incomparável em qualquer lugar de África.

1.7M

Wildebeest

8,000+

Elephants

50,000

Buffalo

500+

Bird Species

70+

Mammal Species

260,000

Zebra

Wildebeest

1.3-1.7M

Western white-bearded Migration

African Lion

3,000-4,000

Largest population in Africa

Cheetah

500-600

Densest population in Africa

Leopard

~1,000

Especialidade do Rio Seronera

Elephant

8,000+

Recuperado do mínimo de 2.000 na década de 1980

Plains Zebra

260,000

Precede wildebeest; eat coarse grass

Cape Buffalo

~50,000

Large herds non-migratory

Masai Giraffe

Thousands

Acacia woodland browsers

Spotted Hyena

7,500-8,700

Mais comum que leões

Nile Crocodile

Large population

Mara & Grumeti Rivers

Topi

Western Corridor

Large herds wetter areas

Raptors

80+ species

Águia marcial, bateleur e muito mais

Experiences

O que fazer Do in the Serengeti

Private Game Drive

The foundation of every Serengeti safari. A private 4x4 Land Cruiser with a 360ã pop-up roof, an expert Haven Trails guide and the full Serengeti at your disposal. Full day, half day, dawn-only or sunset circuits. Designed around the specific wildlife you want to see and the zones active during your visit.

Full day from 6:00 AM maximum wildlife time

Guia escolhe circuitos com base em inteligência em tempo real

Never shared your vehicle, your guide, your pace

Bush picnic lunch in the park elephants optional

Dawn drives predators still active, golden light

Hot Air Balloon Safari

Sunrise balloon flight over the Serengeti. One of Africa's most definitive luxury experiences. An hour over the plains as they wake, ending with champagne breakfast in the bush. Book months in advance. From approximately $650 per person.

Photography Safari

Dedicated photography game drives timed for golden-hour light. Dawn at the kopjes, late afternoon at the river. Your guide positions the vehicle for optimal angles, waits for behaviour and understands composition. The Serengeti is one of Earth's great photography destinations.

Migration Tracking

Haven Trails guides receive real-time intelligence on herd locations from a network of rangers and researchers. We position your safari to intercept the migration wherever it is. Whether calving in the south, crossing the Grumeti in the west or plunging the Mara in the north.

Night Drive

Select concession areas within and adjacent to the park permit night drives. Revealing the Serengeti's nocturnal world: aardvark, serval, civet, African wildcat, porcupine and the eyes of smaller predators glowing in the spotlight. A completely different safari experience.

Specialist Birding

500+ species including 80+ raptors, spectacular grassland endemics and extraordinary migrant concentrations. Haven Trails can arrange specialist birding guides for dedicated birding days. The Serengeti's diversity of habitat makes it one of East Africa's finest birding destinations.

Bush Walk & Cultural Visit

Armed-ranger guided walks at selected park border areas. Maasai cultural visits. The Maasai people have coexisted with the Serengeti's wildlife for centuries in the areas bordering the park and community-owned cultural experiences are available through Haven Trails.

Quando ir

The Serengeti Every Month is Different

The Serengeti rewards visitors in every season. The question is not whether to go but where. Because the experience changes dramatically depending on where the migration is and what the landscape is doing.

July October

? TEMPORADA DE PICO

The Mara River Crossings Northern Serengeti

Mara River crossings at maximum intensity (JulyãSept)
Herds concentrated in northern Serengeti
Dry, clear skies excellent game viewing visibility
Best photography light golden, warm, low-angle
Todos os acampamentos e alojamentos abertos e totalmente operacionais
August considered peak of peak book 12+ months ahead
Most expensive period; highest visitor numbers

January March

? TEMPORADA DE PARTO

Southern Serengeti & Ndutu Extraordinary Predator Action

500,000+ calves born in 2-3 week window (February)
Todos os predadores concentrados nos locais de parto
Lush green short-grass plains beautiful photography
Fewer visitors than JulyãOctober
Migratory birds (Oct-Apr) at their peak
Possíveis algumas chuvas curtas e breves aguaceiros à tarde
Ndutu area mobile camps only in this zone

June

? EXCELLENT

Western Corridor & Grumeti River First Crossings

Rebanhos reunidos no rio Grumeti para primeira travessia
Dramatic Grumeti crocodile encounters
Dry conditions beginning good game viewing
Vida selvagem residente excelente em todo o parque
Fewer visitors than JulyãOctober
Mara crossings beginning late June some years

April May

CHUVAS LONGAS

Green Season The Serengeti in Bloom

Dramatic skies extraordinary photography opportunities
Lush green landscape Serengeti at its most beautiful
Significant discounts at most properties
Very few other tourists private experience
Vida selvagem residente (leões, leopardos) excelente durante todo o ano
Some tracks impassable; some mobile camps closed
Afternoon rains may interrupt late game drives

Haven Trails Note on Climate Change

Migration timing has shifted in recent years due to inconsistent rainfall patterns. Herds have been arriving at locations up to 2-3 weeks earlier or later than historical patterns. Our guides receive real-time intelligence on herd locations and adjust itineraries accordingly. We do not sell migration safaris based on calendar dates alone. We track the herds and position you where they actually are.

Conservation

Protegendo o Serengeti

60+ Years of Scientific Research

The Serengeti Research Institute (founded 1966) has produced foundational ecological science. George Schaller's Serengeti Lion Project. Begun in the 1960s and still active today. Is the world's longest-running large carnivore study. The data it has generated underpins modern lion conservation across Africa. The Serengeti Biodiversity Program continues annual wildlife censuses tracking migration routes, population changes and ecosystem dynamics.

Research Institution

Canine Distemper & Rabies Control

In 1994, an outbreak of canine distemper killed approximately one-third of the Serengeti's lion population. The response. A mass rabies vaccination programme for domestic dogs in Serengeti villages. Has since indirectly prevented hundreds of human deaths and protected endangered species including the African wild dog. This programme is a model for community-based disease management in wildlife ecosystems globally.

Community Health Programme

Elephant Population Recovery

The Serengeti's elephant population declined from approximately 2,000 in the 1980s (following decades of ivory poaching) to a recovered population of 8,000+ by 2014. This recovery. One of the most remarkable in African conservation. Was achieved through intensive anti-poaching operations, community engagement and the protection of the cross-border ecosystem connecting Tanzania and Kenya.

Anti-Poaching Success

The Highway Threat Ongoing Vigilance

In 2010, Tanzania announced plans for a 53 km commercial highway through the northern Serengeti. Which would have fragmented the ecosystem and disrupted migration routes. International conservation advocacy successfully blocked the project but pressure for infrastructure development remains. Tanzania National Parks and UNESCO continue to monitor and defend the park's integrity against ongoing developmental threats.

Ecosystem Defence

Guia Prático

Tudo que você precisa to Know

Chegando ao Serengeti

Fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Julius Nyerere Airport, Dar es Salaam (DAR)
Dirija de Arusha: ~8 horas pelas terras altas de Ngorongoro
Voo fretado de Arusha/Dar para a pista de pouso de Seronera: ~1 hora
Multiple airstrips: Seronera, Kogatende (north), Grumeti (west), Ndutu (south)
Haven Trails organiza toda a logística rodoviária e aérea

Accommodation

Acampamentos econômicos: a partir de US$ 200/noite
Mid-range lodges (Seronera area): $400-700/night
Luxury camps (Asilia, &Beyond, Nomad): $900-1,600/night
Os campos de migração móveis acompanham os rebanhos
JulyãOctober lodges book 12+ months ahead
Haven Trails é parceiro preferencial de nível Silver com propriedades importantes

Entry & Regulations

Tanzania tourist visa: $50 USD (most nationalities)
Taxa de entrada no parque: $ 82 por pessoa, por dia (não residente)
Taxa de veículo: $ 50 por veículo, por entrada
Malaria zone prophylaxis recommended
Certificado de febre amarela exigido para algumas nacionalidades
Todas as taxas incluídas nos pacotes Haven Trails

Perguntas frequentes

Common Questions

Qual é a melhor época para visitar o Serengeti?

The Serengeti is spectacular every month. For the Mara River crossings, JulyãOctober in the northern Serengeti. For calving season drama, JanuaryãMarch in Ndutu and the southern plains. For the Grumeti River crossings and good value, June. The park's resident wildlife. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants. Is excellent year-round. Haven Trails advises on the best zone to be in based on your travel dates.

Quantos leões existem no Serengeti?

The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem supports an estimated 3,000-4,000 lions. Africa's largest remaining lion population. Hundreds of resident lions wander the Seronera Valley alone and it is not unusual to see two or three prides in the course of a single game drive in this area. The Serengeti Lion Project has been studying these prides continuously since the 1960s.

Posso ver todos os Big Five no Serengeti?

Yes. All Big Five are present in the Serengeti. Lions, leopards, elephants and buffaloes are reliably seen. The black rhinoceros, however, suffered catastrophically from poaching (from 1,000 to fewer than 70 individuals) and is now very rarely seen. For reliable rhino encounters, Ngorongoro Crater. Which has strictly protected its approximately 26 rhinos. Is the recommended addition to a Serengeti safari.

Quanto tempo devo passar no Serengeti?

A minimum of 3 full days is needed to begin to understand the park. Five days is the ideal minimum for a meaningful experience. Our Great African Symphony 7-day safari allocates three full Serengeti days. Which allows different circuits each day and a genuine sense of the park's scale. More days always reveal more, because the Serengeti's 14,763 kmã cannot be absorbed quickly.

Is a hot air balloon safari worth it?

For most guests, yes. The Serengeti balloon safari is one of Africa's truly defining luxury experiences. Floating over the plains at dawn, watching the landscape emerge from darkness, seeing animals move below in a completely different perspective. It is unlike anything a game drive delivers. The champagne bush breakfast that follows is also genuinely excellent. Book as early as possible; July and August flights book out months in advance.

Onde exatamente estão os gnus agora?

Migration location depends entirely on the current rainfall pattern, which makes specific predictions unreliable from a distance. Haven Trails receives daily updates from our guide network on herd locations across the Serengeti and positions your safari accordingly. We do not sell safari packages based on calendar predictions alone. We track the actual herds and go where they are.

Planeje seu Serengeti Safari

O Serengeti é a experiência que fica com você para o resto da vida. Deixe a Haven Trails projetar a jornada que merece.

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Serengeti Parque Nacional

O infinito Plains

O maior Show on Earth

Os Seis Distinct Zones

Africa's Greatest Concentration of Predators

70+ Species of Large Mammal

O que fazer Do in the Serengeti

The Serengeti Every Month is Different

Protegendo o Serengeti

Tudo que você precisa to Know

Common Questions

Planeje seu Serengeti Safari

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